potato corn chowder

it’s been a while since i posted, not because i haven’t been cooking, but because most of it has been done with my boyfriend, at his house, usually late/drunk/cameraless. i’m going to try to carry a camera around more because some of the stuff we’ve made would be more than postworthy. it’s pretty awesome dating someone who not only likes to cook, but has skill (probably more than i do).

so today i got home after work, had a few hours until driving improvement class (for a speeding ticket), and i was really hungry. a look through the pantry, and all i really had to go off of was potatoes. after i saw some frozen corn in the freezer, i decided to try a simple corn and potato chowder.

i started by dicing a few potatoes and covering them with salted water and bringing it to a boil, much like i would for mashed potatoes. after it boiled some, i lowered the heat and covered, adding garlic powder, marjoram, pepper, and a few dried sage leaves from my long-dead herb garden. i cooked it covered until the potatoes were becoming soft enough to easily mash but not mushy. i mashed most of them up a bit but left some larger chunks, too.

then i removed the cover and turned up the heat, adjusting the seasonings as the water reduced. once the entire mixture started to thicken, i added frozen corn, let it come back to a boil, and turned down the heat. then i added a little leftover sour cream, some half and half (no milk on hand), and a touch of parmesan cheese. i just brought it back up to a bubble for a few minutes, then stopped the heat and adjusted the seasoning one more time (a little more salt and pepper).

now i’m enjoying it. it’s exactly the kind of filling, simple, hearty thing i was craving earlier today. i’m finishing up my second bowl as i finish the movie “sunshine cleaning”, which i’m not totally sure i love… but i do really really like that it’s filmed in my hometown (albuquerque) and that it actually claims to be set in albuquerque and embraces local things in a good and non-cheesy way. so that part of it is really well done…

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you won't find step by step recipes or lists here. instead, i focus on an intuitive, flexible, impromptu style of cooking. i describe roughly what i did to make each dish in order to inspire you to do the same with different ingredients in your own kitchen! i hope you enjoy the narrative and i hope it makes you want to experiment with your own foodtuition!